Stiff Upper Lip
by Ct2191
Summary: Lily Chap is famed for being emotionally distant in the ED. Most of her colleagues dislike her, she she's certain one screw up would spell the end of her career. But after Alicia's birthday someone seems to be on her side.
1. Chapter 1

Three years of walking the corridors of Holby City Hospital had taken their toll on Lily Chao. When she walked into reception for the first time, she felt a chill go down her spine and a kick of adrenaline made her dive headfirst into her day. Nowadays she was lucky if she felt a glimmer of that same energy.

Losing her father and being forced to work alongside Alicia Monroe again were just the tip of the iceberg. Her people skills, she knew, were terrible. A few weeks ago, she'd overheard some chatter in the staff room as she hurried past.

'…like a robot. Does she even see the patients as people?' Louise' voice rang high and clear above Cal and Max's.

Max snorted and added, 'doubt she sees anyone as a person. We'll probably just all walking statistics to her, like,' he made his voice lower and toneless, 'probability of fracturing ankle on stairs: fifteen percent.'

Granted, she never heard her name mentioned, but unless they'd run into Jac Naylor recently it was fairly clear who they were talking about. Their laughter haunted her for most of that day.

Did their assumptions lead them to think she neither expressed nor felt emotion? Did they not care how hurtful those remarks were? Apparently not.

Even Charlie, the supposed heart of the ED, kept her at arm's length. But he wasn't quite the same. Lily could tell he cared about her, that he wanted to say something each time he heard those comments, but he didn't. No one ever defended Lily Chao. They were all too busy fawning over Alicia.

In a way, Alicia felt like her replacement. Her skill was questionable to the point where Lily would never consider her an intellectual equal, but she brought such heart and feeling to everything she did that patients and staff alike couldn't help but love her.

If their mutual dislike for one and other ever came to the point where Dr Gardner had to let one of them go, there was no doubt in Lily's mind that without Connie Beauchaump there to back her up she would be gone in an instant. It would be better if it was her, anyway. If she stayed, everyone would only resent her as much as they did last time Alicia left.

'Lily? Patient in bay 9.' Charlie said.

She jumped. She'd been standing around for more than three minutes. When she first came to Holby, she set herself a rule: no more than one minute of standing idle unless she was on a break. Scolding herself, she took the patients file from Charlie and examined its contents.

The patient was a nine year old boy, presenting with nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea. Blood pressure was a little high, and so was his temperature. Textbook gastroenteritis. Still, she'd have to examine him and make sure, which spending time with a whining infant and its mother.

She gave the boy a prescription and ordered him off school for the remainder of the week. If she didn't, she had no doubt half his class at the very least would be through the ED doors over the coming seven days. That, or wasting the GP's valuable time.

She'd shaken her head at the sight of the boy smiling when she told him about his mini holiday, but only a little. The mother was beady-eyed and made it quite clear she didn't trust the 'failing, money-grabbing' NHS. If she'd seen any indication that her son wasn't treated with the utmost respect there would have been a complaint in Lily's file in a matter of minutes. And she couldn't afford too many more of those.

Once she was done with the boy, she pumped a little of the antibacterial hand onto her palm and rubbed it into her hands as she headed towards the nurses' station. To her dismay it wasn't empty this time around: Cal was heckling Ethan about some matter related to Alicia.

Lily did her best to tune the conversation out as she set about examining another patient's chart, but that proved to be the wrong move a moment later.

'What do you think, Lily?'

She looked up to see the two brothers staring at her, Cal with a malicious twinkle in his eye. She supressed a groan.

'I wasn't listening.'

'Sure you weren't.' Cal winked and continued, 'Does Nibbles here have a chance with Alicia now that we've-?'

'Cal' Ethan gave his brother a look. The look.

'Chill out little bro!' Cal held up his hands and backed off a step. 'I was only asking if you were interested in someone I'd already—'

'Whoever Ethan wants to sleep with is his own business. Now if you don't mind I have work to do.'

Cal's mouth formed a perfect 'O' shape. 'Wait a sec… what about Lily, nibbles? You guys would be perfect for one and other: you could spend all evening nerding out over medical journals!'

'Cal, please. Not today.' Ethan looked exasperated, but Cal either didn't care or didn't notice.

'What do you think, Lily?' he continued.

'I think I have patients to treat. As do you.'

'Oh, come on, I was only having a little bit of fun…'

Lily could tell she was being goaded into saying something more, making herself look like even more of the bad guy than she already was, but this time she managed to hold a stiff upper lip and kept herself calm.

'Dr Knight, would you care to take on this case?'

'What is it?'

'Impacted Bowel.'

He backed off. One step. Two. 'Thanks Lily, but I'm, er, already treating someone, and—'

'Everything alright here?'

She heard his approach before she saw him. The rustling sound of his high-vis jacket made when he swung his arms as he walked. Relief flooded her mind as she turned to greet him.

'Good morning, Iain.'

He smiled and nodded. 'Lily. Cal not giving you a hard time, is he?'

'I was offering him a patient to treat and he declined.'

Iain snuck a look at the file in her hands. The corners of his mouth twitched before he arranged his features into a mock serious expression. Or at least she thought he was pretending.

'Come on, Cal. It's our job to treat these guys. Might not be pretty, but we have to do it.'

'Yeah, Cal,' Ethan said, 'you can't turn down someone in need.'

His face was reddening. 'Like I said, I would, b-but—'

'Why are we all standing around?' Dr Gardner came up behind Cal, making him jump.

Iain saw an opportunity and took it. 'It's Cal. He's refusing to treat this patient.'

Elle frowned at Cal, and then walked over to Lily, who handed her the file. Her eyebrows rose.

'Well, Dr Knight, I'm afraid we don't get to pick our patients based on which are the most glamorous. I'll take over the model you're treating and you'll be handling Mr Fields' bowels. Understood?'

He bowed his head and took the file she proffered, and then hurried away before anyone could see his face get any redder.

Iain touched Lily's arm. She tried her best to pretend a million electric shocks weren't jostling under his touch.

'If he gives you any more problems, just let me know. Okay?'

Unable to speak, she nodded. He winked and then headed back out the doors as his walkie-talkie blared to life, revealing another injured person in need of rescue. He broke into a run as the double doors swung shut behind him.

Lily stared for a little longer than she needed to, and when she turned back around Ethan and Elle had disappeared. Louise was watching her with raised eyebrows.

She prayed her cheeks weren't too red as she supressed a smile.


	2. Chapter 2

'Pub tonight?' Max stretched and yawned.

Louise, Robyn, Cal and Charlie murmured their assent. Lily collected her coat and walked over to her locker in silence.

'I still smell like—'

'Yeah, you do.' Louise looked at Cal with disgust. 'Either spray some air freshener on your clothes or change them—I'm not going out with that.'

Alicia slipped into the room and sidled up beside Lily. Lily made a point of focusing on the contents of her locker, but she could still feel the other woman's presence. It was distracting. How did Alicia command the room's attention just by walking into it, she wondered.

'Hey Alicia, do you think I smell?' Cal walked up to them and waved his t-shirt around a few times.

'God, yes, get away from me!' She batted him away, but he kept on coming closer. As the smell hit Lily's nose she decided it was long past time she got out of there.

No one was going to invite her to the pub, so there was no point her sticking around. Besides, she consoled herself, if they want to spent time around the adult babies that are Alicia and Caleb, why should she subject herself to the same torture?

Yes, she thought as she hurried out of the locker room, she will go home and cook herself something instead. A good meal and some sleep, that's what will have her back here tomorrow, ready to perform at her best. The others can spend their time nursing hangovers while she rushes around and does her job. With a little luck Alicia might call in sick.

As she headed out of the door, Lily was almost cheerful. There was a small bounce to her step as she strode past the steady stream of disgruntled and bloody patients, and ignored (or was she being ignored?) the nurses and doctors.

But then, as always, something stopped her in her tracks. Iain, leaning against the building. He grinned at her.

'Good evening, Dr Chao.'

'Iain,' she smiled. 'waiting for the others?'

'No, as it happens, I was waiting for you.'

A startled smile spread across her face. 'Me?'

'Well yeah, that is, if you want to come to the pub with me.'

The pub. With Alicia. And Cal. And twenty other pairs of prying eyes besides. She took a step back, her smile fading.

'Thanks, but I'd rather go home and put my feet—'

'Look, I know the others will be there and it's going to be awkward, but why don't you give it a shot? We'll sit on our own and make sure we'll away from them.'

When Lily didn't respond straight away, he offered her his arm. He was wearing a blue t-shirt that fitted him perfectly. She could see the contours of his arms, his chest through it. She moved and took his arm as though hypnotised.

The pub was as loud as ever.

'C'mon,' Iain said when they entered, 'they all sit over there usually, it'd be better if we went… this way.'

He led her over to a small booth by the front of the room. This was exactly the intimate setting she had hoped for, but there was one problem: they were sitting by a window. The rest of the ED team would be out in a minute, and when they were there would be no chance of them skipping over the sight of Iain Dean and Lily Chao.

'Let them stare.' Iain said, seeming to read her thoughts. 'I don't care. Do you?'

That smile was delicious. Infectious. She found herself smiling with him and shaking her head.

And, of course, she was right. When the gaggle of sleepy doctors, nurses and a porter did make their way into the ED and took their seats in the booth on the other side of the room, they endured the staring for almost ten minutes afterwards.

But that didn't feel like a blow, and Lily made sure she gave them something to look at. She and Iain chatted away, about work and themselves, revealing details of their personal lives and supplementing this with tales of unruly patients.

All the while Lily kept second guessing herself.

Did he usually talk about Patients when he wasn't at work? Was he trying to please her? Obviously. What did any of that matter? She asked herself. He was talking to her, smiling enough to know that he was genuinely enjoying her company, and for once she wasn't sitting home alone at this hour. As far as she was concerned, that was a win.

'Hey, Iain,' Cal shouted over from the table. 'Come and sit with us.'

'No thanks mate, I'm good over here.'

'Oh, you could bring your date as well.' He was slurring a little. They all laughed.

Lily felt her cheeks reddening and looked at the empty beer glass she had in front of her.

'Actually, I think we're gonna head off, but thanks.'

A loud round of muttering was started over this statement. Lily look up from her glass and stared at him.

'We are?'

'Yeah, I think so.' He smiled. 'C'mon. I'll walk you home.'

'It'll be quite a walk.'

'That's okay. All the more time for us to talk. Now what about that patient, Mr Philips? Did you say a pensioner came in with heroin in his system?'

'He had dementia. The heroin was his grandson's but he'd thought it was his medication and injected himself.'

Perhaps it was the crisp night air, but when they got outside Lily felt grateful for Iain's company all over again. They walked, or rather strolled, and talked for the next hour. Iain told jokes and she laughed even if she didn't get them, and Lily told Iain of her life and had a stab at a couple of jokes herself. Iain even laughed at a couple of them.

But then, they were at her front doorstep, and the conversation dried up.

'Would-would you like to come in?' She asked.

'Oh, no, you're alright. I've got an early shift tomorrow, so I'd better get back home myself.'

'Didn't you say you lived near the Farmead estate? That's over an hour away.'

Iain turned around on the spot and then scratched his chin. 'Yeah, yeah it is. I better call a cab or—'

'Stay over.'

He lowered his hand.

'Sorry?

'Stay over? I have a spare room, you could, you know—'

'Oh, right, yeah. Of-of course. Well thanks, Lily, but I—'

She halted his declining of the offer by kissing him.

Lily had never been all that assertive, but as she oved her hands up to the sides of his face and felt the roughness of his stubble, she knew she made the right choice. Hell, she wasn't even as scared as she thought she would.

Iain's hands moved to her waist, and they broke apart. He still seemed a little shocked, so she gave him a nervous smile and was relieved when he returned it.

'Sure,' he said, 'I'll stick around.'


End file.
